The first-class armoured cruiser King Alfred was launched at Barrow on the28th of October, the thotisandthanniversary of King Alfred the Great, the founder of the British Navy, in the presence of thousands of spectators, the vessel receiving its name from the Countess of Latham. 'The toast of Vickers, Sons, and Maxim was proposed by Mr.' Arnold-Forster, M. P., Secretary to the Admiralty, who' said that it was matter for gratification to every one when a great ship was added to the British Navy. The shipbuilders of the country had'reached a high pitch of excellence, but fifty years ago a divorce was effected between the Government and the great industries of shipbuilding and gunmaking, and the result haa been that those industries had to be carried on without any assistance from the Government. It was his hope that shortly there should be closer ce-operation, by means of which alone Admiralty could carry out the work. intrusted to it. The duly way such ce-o poration could be offecteu wits by the pri-vote firms being made to feel that they were welcome competitors with other shipbuilding concerns in saving the country in the great crisis which might come upon it at any time. The King Alfred, which is of the Drake class. is, along with other three of the same class, the largest and fastest cruiser in the British Navy, while her gun power is the heaviest of any cruiser in the world. Her engines are 330,000 horse power, the heaviest ever nit into a warship. She carries 35 guns, including two 9.2, which can fire shot equal to sending one ton weight nearly three and a half miles into the air. Her speed is 2% knots. She has 43. water-tube boilers, and a steam pressure of 300 pounds to the square inch.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.